Reversible ratchet wrenches



M- WEINBERGER REVERSIBLE RATCHET WRENCHES Sept. 18, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 12, 1955 IN V EN TOR. (If/#568664 MO/EB/S p 1956 I M. WEINBERGER 2,763,174

REVERSIBLE RATCHET WRENCHES Filed Sept. 12, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States. Patent REVERSIBLE RATCHET WRENCHES Morris Weinberger, New York, N. Y.

Application September 12, 1955, Serial No. 533,649

7 laims. (Cl. 81-60) This invention relates to tools generally and particularly to what may be considered a wrench for use with cylindrical articles, such as pipes employed in the plumbing trade.

Wrenches for cylindrical articles are well known in the art, but most of these wrenches are either too complicated or expensive, and very often their usefulness is rather limited.

The present invention is particularly intended for use on pipes hidden by walls, in which case it is usual for the plumber to break out a very large portion of the wall in order to be able to place an ordinary pipe wrench about the pipe to be either extracted or inserted. Very often pipe pieces or nipples to be extracted from an existing pipe system are so corroded that they break or crumble and have to be extracted at expenditure of considerable labor and cost to the owner.

The present invention contemplates the provision of a device which will minimize the possibility of a corroded nipple or pipe collapsing while being extracted, and furthermore to facilitate the removal of such nipple or pipe at a minimum expenditure to the owner by saving costly repairs of large openings in walls. I

As is well known in the plumbing trade an ordinary pipe wrench applied to a corroded pipe is apt to crush it, thus rendering its removal very difficult. Such collapse of the pipe is due to pressure applied to two relatively small opposite areas of the outer pipe surface.

The prime object of this invention is to provide a tool for removing or attaching pipes in inaccessible places, and which tool has provisions for gripping such pipe about substantially its entire circumference so as to distribute evenly the force and pressure required to.

be applied for the removal or insertion of such pipe.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a wrench structure composed of a reversible pipe-engaging unit operative by way of a hollow handle, and which unit comprises a substantially hollow tubular member in which are operative work-gripping jaws so designed that when the unit is turned in one direction the jaws will securely grip the work substantially over its entire sur-,

face, and when the unit is turned in reverse direction, the jaws will automatically release the work.

A further object of this invention is to provide a pipeworking tool, said tool comprising in combination a hollow handle having a socket at least at one end, a pipe gripping unit adapted to be reversibly held within the handle socket, said unit consisting of a substantially cylindrical tubular member provided with axially disposed, recessed channel-shaped ribs extending radially beyond the outer surface of that member, and a plurality of gripping jaws operative within the tubular member, each jaw being provided with an axially disposed, radially projecting ridge; the ridges of all jaws being adapted to extend into and to loosely fit within the recesses of the channel-shaped ribs, and wherein said tubular member is provided at its internal periphery with axially disposed cam surfaces projecting beyond its inner cylindrical sur- Patented Sept. 18, 1956 face, these cam surfaces serving for moving the jaws towards the work to be gripped when the device is turned in one direction and to free the jaws and thus cause the release of the work by the jaws when turned in the opposite direction, and wherein resilient means are provided surrounding the jaws to draw the jaws toward one another when inserted into or removed from the cylindrical member, the latter having means at least at one end for holding the jaws within the member.

A still further object of this invention is the provision of' a tool as stated above, wherein in the recesses of the outer tubular member are mounted spring means adapted to bear against the ridges of the jaws to normally urge the jaws in a radially inward direction, that is, at a relatively slight pressure against the work piece.

The foregoing and numerous other objects of the present'invention will become more fully apparent from the ensuing description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is an exploded illustration of the presently preferred form of the device;

Fig. 2 illustrates the device in operation;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal cross section of the jaw-holding outer tubular member showing the jaws held therein;

Fig. 4 is an end view of the tubular member and of the jaws; and

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the hollow handle, partly in section.

Essentially, the present device works on a pipe wrench principle, but has the advantage of gripping the work not at two opposite points over relatively short peripheral distances, as does the pipe wrench, but along substantially the entire circumference of the work to be handled. The exploded illustration seen in Fig. 1 shows the different parts comprising the device. There is employed a long hollow handle 10, seen in detail'in Fig. 5, one end of which comprises a socket or head 11, forming a cylindrical structure with suitable channel-shaped recesses 12. Socket portion 11 is adapted to removably receive either end of cylindrical tubular or outer member 13 of the pipe-gripping unit. That member is provided with longitudinally extending radially projecting channel-shaped ribs 14 which are adapted to be engaged by the channel-shaped recesses 12 of handle head 11. The ends 15 and 16 of member 13 are reduced and externally threaded and extend beyond ribs 14. These reduced ends 15, 16 are adapted to be engaged by ring-shaped bushings 17 and 18, the function of which latter will be explained presently. At the interior surface of tubular member 13 there will be seen longitudinal, axially disposed and inwardly projecting cam surfaces 19.

Within tubular member 13 are placed three internally serrated jaws 20, only one of which is shown in Fig. 1. The outer surface of these jaws forms portions of a cylinder, and extending from their outer surface, nearer one of the edges and substantially distanced from the other edge, are axially disposed ridges 21 which project outwardly in a radial direction. These ridges are preferably recessed at substantially their center portion, as at 22, and which recesses are adapted to accommodate a resilient split ring 23 which is intended to compress and draw the jaws toward one another, thus facilitating the insertion of the three jaws into and their removal from tubular member 13.

Ridges 21 of the jaws are adapted to be loosely nested within the channel-shaped recesses 14 of ribs 14 of tubular member 13, and in which recesses the ridges are so fitted that their side edges can be alternately engaged by the opposite walls of recesses 14. When all three jaws are placed within tubular member13, bushings 17 and 18 are then screwed onto extensions 15 and 16 and 'hold the jaws against removal from member 13. When the jaws are thus held in member 13, the complete unit now can be insertedintosocket v.11 of handle .10, where it is held against removal by means of a set screw 24 adapted to engage either of the depressions 25 and 26 provided at the outer surface'of cylindricalrmemberlfa.

As will beseen from Figs. 3 and4, thejaws are so designed that they can easily slip into cylindrical member 13 while held against one another by circumferential ring 23.

In Figs. 3 and 4 the jaws 20 are clearly illustrated. At both ends of the jawsserrations 27.are chamfered as indicated at 27'to facilitate insertion ofithe work piece to be engaged, such as the .pipe shown inibroken lines in Fig. 4 at 28.

It will be also noted that'the recesses14' provided in ribs 14 are sufficiently wide so that ridges 21 can be engaged by either of the side walls of recesses 14'. In Fig. 4 the upper left-hand jaw 20 is shown in broken lines when moved in a counterclockwisedirection .by the right-hand wall of upper recess 14. It will be also noted that recesses :14 are deep enough toaccommodate spring members 29, shown in detailin Fig. 1, which spring members are designed to normally exert pressure against'ridges 21 of the jaws and to thus normally urge the jaws in an inward direction, that is towards the work piece. However the action of the springs is not sufliciently severe to interfere with the insertion of a work piece into the device. In other words these springs will yield su-fiiciently so as not to obstruct insertion of the work piece.

In Fig. 2 the present device is indicated in actual application. There will be seen a Wall 30, partly'broken out, as at 31, just sufficiently to permit the insertiontherethrough of handle 10. In head 11 of the handle there will be seen the wrench unit 13' in gripping engagement with pipe nipple 28 extending from T-fitting 32, which forms apart of a pipe system 33 located in rear of the wall. The outer hexagonal end 34 of handle is engaged by a suitable wrench 35. It will be-observed that wrench unit 13' is placed as close as possible to'the threaded end of pipe nipple 28 which is to be removed.

Operation Wrench unit 13 comprises outer cylindrical member 13 with jaws 20 inserted therein and held within'member 13 by end bushings 17 and 18 applied to threaded reduced ends and 16. Unit '13 can be placed into head 11 of handle 10 by way of either of its ends.

In Fig. 4 the unit is shown gripping the pipe foriturning it in a counterclockwise direction, that is'for tightening it in its corresponding right-hand thread of a fitting. When the unit is reversed and placed into head 11 it is ready to remove a pipe or nipple from the female thread of a fitting or the like. As stated above recesses 14' of axial ribs or lugs 14 are sufficiently wide so that ridges 21 of the three jaws-maybeiengagedbyieither:side-wall of the recesses 14.

Referring-to the upper portion ofZFig. 4, ridge 21 is shownin broken linesmoved to the left, as.is:also'the body of'the jaw, that is a position assumed when unit 13' is turned in a counterclockwise direction and ridge 21 becomesengaged by the right-hand wall of upper recesses 14, thereby causing'the end of the jaw, which is furthest distanced from ridge 21, to ride over the highest point of cam surface 19, whereby the serrations of the jaw-are caused to diginto the body of pipe 28, thus causing the pipe to turn in a counterclockwise direction. Obviously all three jaws will operate in the same way simultaneously, whereby substantially the entire outer surface of pipe'28 is positively gripped. When handle 10, and thus unit 13', is turned in the opposite direction, the opposite walls of recesses 14' will engage ridges 21, whereby the jaws are caused to slideoff cam surfaces 19, thereby causing the serrations to release pipe 28. Essentially, the jaws are caused to execute rocking motions as member 13 is alternately turned in clockwise and counterclockwisedirections.

When the position of the wrench unit is reversed in head 11 of handle 10, the jaws will function in the same manner as described above, however, instead of screwing in a nipple or pipe engaged by the jaws it will unscrew such pipe from the thread. It is to be noted, especially as seen in Fig. 3, that the endsof ribs 14 are chamfered as at 14" and similarly the ends of ridges 21 are beveled as at 21. .The'beveling of the ends of ribs 14 is-intended to facilitate .their insertion into recesses 12 of handle head 11, while beveled edges 21 of ridges 21 are to facilitate the insertion of the 'ribs in recesses 14 of member 13.

The device as showninthe drawings represents but a single embodiment of the present invention, adapted for work pieces of a certain diameter, allowing however for some dimensional variations. Thus the device can be designed, for instance,-to be used with different pipe sizes, such as /2 inch to inch pipe, or inch to l inch pipe. It is preferred however to provide an individual unit for each pipe size. From the foregoing it becomesquite obvious that'in the course of production necessary variations, structural changes, fabrication improvements and modifications may have to be effected, for which reason it is believed that such necessitated alterations are deemed to come Within the scope of the present invention as defined in the annexed claims.

What is claimed as new is:

1. In a tool of theclass indicated, an outer member, a handle orthe like for turning the member, said member being substantially tubular, a plurality of work-gripping, serrated jaws operative within said member and each jaw having an axially disposed radially projecting actuating means, said member havingaxially disposed radially arranged receiving means for each of said actuating means of-the jaws, the latter means being loosely nested within and'being operative by said receiving means, whereby a combination sliding and rocking motion of the jaws is effected when said-member is operated, a corresponding arrangement of cam means extending axially within said member, one cam for each jaw, for causing one end of eachjaw to move substantially in a radially inward direction for gripping the work when said member is turnedto cause the jaws to engage said cam means.

2. In a reversiblerachet wrench for gripping cylindrical work, an operating handle having a wrench-engaging end, said wrench comprising a substantially tubular outer member having a plurality of axially disposed radial projecting, channel-shaped, recessed ribs at its outer periphery and a corresponding plurality of axially extending cam'means at its interior surface, a plurality of serrated work-gripping jaws operative within said member and having axially disposed radially projecting ridges loosely nested within and adapted to be actuated by the side walls of the recesses in said ribs when said member is rotated, one end of each jaw being adapted to engage said earn means when said member is rotated in one direction, whereby the jaws are caused to assume a work-engaging position, said jaws disengaging said cam means when said member is caused to rotate in the opposite direction.

3. In a reversible wrench according to claim 2, and wherein removable means are provided at least at one end of the member for holding the jaws therewithin.

4. In a reversible wrench according to claim 3, and wherein resilient means are provided about the jaws for normally urging them toward one another and toward the work, thereby facilitating their insertion into and their'removal from said member.

5. 'In a reversible ratchet wrench structure, the combination with an elongated hollow handle, of a removable and reversible wrench unit engageable at either end by said handle and comprising a substantially hollow cylindrical body having a plurality of channel-shaped, radially disposed enlargements extending axially beyond the outer periphery of the body, the interior of these enlargements forming recesses, the cylindrical ends of the body projecting beyond said enlargem :nts and having removable bushings; work-gripping, serrated jaws operative within said body, resilient means for normally urging the jaws toward each other and into work-gripping position, a corresponding plurality of axially arranged ridges extending radially from the outer faces of the jaws and being located along a line substantially parallel with and at a relatively short distance from one of the longitudinal edges of the jaws, the distance between the ridges and the other longitudinal edges of the jaws being much greater, said ridges extending into and being loosely held within the recesses of said enlargements and being adapted to be moved by the walls of said recesses as the body is turned by said handle; a corresponding plurality of axially disposed cam surfaces within the body, said other longitudinal jaw edges being adapted to engage said cam surfaces when the body is turned in one direction, whereby a positive work-gripping action by the jaws is eifected, said jaws being caused to disengage said cam surfaces when the body is turned in the opposite direction, whereupon the jaws assume a work-releasing position.

6. In a reversible ratchet wrench structure according to claim 5, and wherein spring means are provided within said recesses of the radial body enlargements and are adapted to bear against said jaw ridges, thereby normally urging the jaws in a radial inward direction, that is into work-contacting position.

7. A ratchet wrench structure comprising in combination a hollow, elongated handle having a socket at least at one end, a work-gripping tool adapted to be removably and reversibly held in said handle socket, said tool consisting of a hollow cylindrical member having axial, radially projecting channel-forming ribs and a plurality of work-gripping jaws within said member, each jaw having axial, radially disposed ridges projecting into, but being loosely fitted in the channel-forming ribs of said cylindrical member, said ridges having a central recess, a resilient ring fitted in the recesses of all jaws for holding the latter toward one another so as to facilitate insertion of the jaws into and their removal from said cylindrical member, means at at least one end of the latter member for keeping the jaws within said member, spring means interposed between the jaw ridges and the web of the channel-forming ribs for urging the jaws radially inward, cam means extending longitudinally and radially inward of the interior face of said cylindrical member, the jaws being adapted to be moved inwardly by the cam means when said member is turned in one direction and to disengage the cam means when said member is turned in the opposite direction; said jaws having tapered inner ends for facilitating their spreading when a work piece is being inserted, such as a pipe.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,632,352 Alpers Mar. 24, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 974 Great Britain of 1863 14,350 Great Britain of 1893 452,589 France Mar. 10, 1913 288,152 Germany Oct. 21, 1915 

